Sara G. M. Piccirillo, a UNM scientist, studies how glioblastoma brain cancer cells hide in the brain and evade killing. She hopes her work will prevent deadly recurrences of the fast-growing cancer, which has a five-year survival rate of 7%.
This study is important because glioblastoma destroys people’s lives. Despite the use of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the tumors recur almost inevitably. Identifying the location of any remaining cells may revolutionize patients’ survival chances.
In most cases, patients undergo surgery believing the tumor is gone, but it returns within months. According to Piccirillo’s findings, residual cells are present in the subventricular zone in 65% of cases. Microglia, brain cells of the immune system, promote tumor growth in this part of the brain.
Piccirillo aims to identify genetic and molecular differences by isolating glioblastoma cells from this region and comparing them with tumor cells. This may lead to individualized therapies targeting these cells, thus preventing the cancer from regrowing and offering hope of extended survival time.
The headline stresses the need to act to find ways to stop the growth of hidden cancer cells, as this will save lives. Otherwise, the same cancer will keep recurring, keeping survival rates extremely low. Piccirillo’s research is addressing this treatment challenge.
The UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only NCI‑designated center within 500 miles, drives this research. Policymakers and funding agencies should take note that discovering information about hidden cancer cells can revolutionize treatment methods.